Just west of the Town of Healdsburg, the California coastal range is the first topographical barrier to ocean breezes and marine fog. Here, live oaks, redwoods, bay laurel and madrone stipple the landscape. On a 38-acre, ridge-top parcel overlooking lush vineyards, Swatt + Partners designed a ground-up 8,500 SF single-family residence, dubbed.Whispering Stones, that does not disrupt the continuity of this ecosystem, while providing elegant and gracious interior spaces with an abundance of natural light and strong indoor-outdoor connections. Whispering Stones was commissioned by sophisticated and astute admirers of modern design, who value their responsibility as stewards and protectors of this land. To realize their mandate not to harm existing trees, Swatt + Partners began at the sinuous 1/4 mile long entry drive; the exposed board formed concrete retaining walls follow the existing topography and vegetation, and protected numerous existing tree root systems.The three-level residence straddles the dominant ridge and treads lightly over the natural, undisturbed topography. Shaded terraces directly engage the land, while an existing oak is left to pass through a roof opening in a pointed declaration of the continuity of building and ecosystem. Designed with multiple exposures of floor-to-ceiling natural light, the interior spaces provide transparency and reinforce human connection to the land.Centered in the linear arrangement of spaces, the glass bridge above the entry and a sculptural “Braille” wall compresses the volume between the entrance and the kitchen and living areas. Precise, rectilinear geometry in bold horizontal strokes is a sharp contrast to the undulating and native landscape. Throughout, the materiality also provides a similar contrast: concrete, glass, stainless steel, aluminum trellises and Western Red Cedar siding are detailed and crafted with clarity; a sharp counterpoint to the surrounding grasses and twisted trunks of oaks.At Whispering Stones, Swatt + Partners achieved a sense of well-being with thoughtful design strategies and materials: -Responsibly sourced materials and finishes include low VOC paints and adhesives, and FSC forest products for all decks and wood siding. -The slender, elongated primary building allows for whole building cross ventilation as well as uniform daylighting. Broad horizontal overhangs, trellis’ and finned window mullions provide shading to reduce internal solar heat gains. -Deep-finned windows, large horizontal roof extensions and trellises modulate the solar exposure and cast beautiful, ever changing shadows upon the building walls. -In-floor zoned radiant heating combined with the thermal mass of architectural concrete walls at the stair tower and main level modulates temperature fluctuations. These passive strategies are augmented with Pool and Domestic Hot Water roof mounted solar panels. Photovoltaic solar arrays, integrated with the power grid, provide electrical power and charge battery backup systems that provide supplemental power during municipal outages. -Indoor water efficient and water conserving plumbing fixtures and fittings are used throughout the home. -All landscaping is primarily native or drought tolerant and where needed, automatic irrigation controllers supplied by a site well and storage system limit